Software Star Coupling for Scalable Fiber Bus Communication
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing communication systems using hardware-based fiber optic star couplers with a fixed number of ports are costly and limit scalability, necessitating a more cost-effective and flexible solution for connecting a primary communication device with multiple secondary devices.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a software-based star coupler functionality in a primary communication device that copies and addresses communication telegrams to multiple secondary devices via optical fibers, eliminating the need for hardware-based star couplers with fixed ports.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a hardware-based fiber optic star coupler with a fixed number of ports is used, then data transmission between a central device and multiple subordinate devices is enabled, but the system lacks scalability and increases cost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the copying principle by implementing a software-based star coupler that creates virtual copies of communication telegrams. The control unit copies each incoming telegram multiple times according to the number of coupled secondary devices, inserting different addresses in each copy. This software-based copying approach replaces the need for hardware-based port multiplication, enabling scalable system configuration without fixed port limitations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical/hardware-based star coupler with a software-based implementation. Instead of using physical optical components with fixed port configurations, the system uses a control unit executing software to perform the star coupler function. This substitution allows dynamic configuration and scalability, as the software can adapt to any number of secondary devices without requiring physical hardware changes.
2Reliability
If a hardware-based star coupler is used, then communication between primary and secondary devices is established, but system cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses software-based copying of communication telegrams to replace expensive hardware star couplers. The control unit generates multiple copies of each telegram with appropriate addressing, enabling reliable one-to-many communication without requiring costly optical splitting hardware. This approach maintains communication reliability while significantly reducing system cost.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces expensive, fixed-configuration hardware star couplers with a flexible software-based solution that can be implemented on standard communication devices. The software-based approach uses readily available components and can be deployed without specialized hardware, thereby reducing overall system cost while maintaining the necessary communication functionality.
3Reliability
If individual point-to-point fiber optic connections are implemented from the central device to each subordinate device, then communication reliability is improved, but the number of required fiber optic cables increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple point-to-point connection requirements into a single physical connection per secondary device by implementing software-based telegram copying. Instead of requiring separate physical fiber optic cables from the primary device to each secondary device, the system uses a single fiber connection where the software at the primary device or coupling module creates the necessary message copies, thereby reducing the quantity of fiber optic cables needed while maintaining reliable communication.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a software-based star coupler functionality as an intermediary that handles the multiplication of communication telegrams. This software intermediary processes incoming telegrams, creates appropriate copies with different addresses, and directs them to the correct secondary devices. This intermediary approach eliminates the need for multiple physical fiber connections while preserving the reliability of point-to-point communication semantics.
Data Source
Figure 1
AI summary
The invention relates, among other things, to a primary communication device (20) comprising: a bus interface (26) configured for connecting the primary communication device (20) to a data bus (70), a storage device (23) in which software is stored, and a control unit (22) configured to cause the primary communication device (20), by executing the software, to: - provide a communication telegram for a predetermined secondary communication device (40, 60, 90, 110), - insert into the communication telegram a first address assigned to the predetermined secondary communication device (40, 60, 90, 110), - copy the communication telegram n times, where n is greater than 1, - insert into each of the copied communication telegrams a second address, wherein the second addresses are different and each is assigned to a separate coupling module (30, 50, 80, 100).and - to send each of the copied communication telegrams via the bus interface (26).